Stay
by TLX Queen's Loyal Subjects
Summary: He wanted her near him, she wanted him to stay away. Journey with Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks and discover just how much a lifetime of experiences can change your perspective. Written as part of the Teacher's Lounge Exchange for Rose of the West.


**Disclaimer: **The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling.

* * *

**Stay**

Ted Tonks watched as the landscape eluded him, ever shifting. It was just surreal, being on that train, even if all alone. The mere recollection of the last few months of his life, how the things that he could _do_ started to make sense and take shape as part of an actual world of people like … like …

"Like _me_," he finished, carefully smiling. He knew he'd miss his parents, and he'd never be able to repay their support, but … this was just too cool.

"Like you, _what_?"

Two girls were by the compartment door. Sisters, he could tell; most of their faces were the same and their hair was the same shade of black. Slightly older, the one who asked the question. The other was a step behind, silent. She just stared.

"Oh, sorry … just talking to myself, really."

"I can see that. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," he said, his easy smile offering the seats in front of him. The girl closer to them looked and laughed. There was something off about her pitch … Ted wasn't sure he liked this girl.

"I don't believe you understood. We want this compartment … _for ourselves_. So if you'll just leave …" she added, shifting so there was a gap large enough for him to pass. He noticed two other girls with them, giggling about the situation … probably friends with the older sister. The youngest stood still, eyes inquisitive.

"Well, there's enough space for all of us," he suggested. His father always told him to be polite to women in general, but he didn't like the commanding tone she used with him. _It's not like she's an adult or anything …_

"Yes, but your luggage disagrees," and the older sister waved her wand, muttering words he couldn't fully understand. Before Ted knew what was going on, his trunk was hovering out the door, clashing with a dull sound against the corridor walls.

Ted wanted to protest, but something stopped him. Slowly, and never breaking eye contact with the older student, he stood and walked past her, ignoring the stares of all three other girls and lots of other students that came out of their compartments to see what was going on. It didn't take long for a prefect to arrive.

"Is there a problem here?" Her voice was commanding, and most compartment doors were shut as she strode.

"No problem," Ted said, surprising everyone. "She," and he pointed at his offender, "tried to help me get my trunk in place and didn't levitate it right. Bit sloppy, she was, but thanks anyway."

It wasn't as if she could protest without telling the real reason why Ted's trunk was there. Instead, she nodded her friends and sister into the compartment and shut the door behind her with way too much force. The prefect just stood there, blinking.

"Well, let's get you settled somewhere else, okay?" She grabbed Ted's luggage with ease. "What's your name?"

"Ted Tonks, Miss."

She seemed to appreciate his politeness. "You can call me Beatrice, or Trice for short. I'd tell you my whole name but you would laugh. I don't remember your face … first year?"

Ted nodded. Trice smiled, sliding a door open. "You'll do fine. Anyone that can infuriate a Black will know his way around Hogwarts, no problem," she chuckled.

"A 'Black'?"

"The two girls with pitch-black hair? Black sisters. The older one is Bellatrix. The other is Andromeda, first year like you. Old family, old money. Just don't go out of your way to rattle their cages."

_Old family, old money_. Ted had seen signs of this at the platform, the stares his parents got here and there. _Prejudice_, perhaps?

"There you go, all set. Hope to see you at Slytherin," she added, a delicate hand pulling the compartment door halfway in. "Don't listen to what people say, we're not all bad." She winked and left.

It didn't take long for Ted to introduce himself to his new compartment buddies … friends that he eventually kept throughout his Hogwarts time. But the one memory he kept closer to him of that day was the one just after Bellatrix had vandalized his belongings.

The image of Andromeda Black, eyes unflinching, shaking her head as if to say: 'Don't.'

She was that _something_ that stopped him.

* * *

"Stop staring."

"W–What?"

Thomas Colson joined Ted at breakfast table, one yawn after another. Gifted with a silver tongue and an amazingly capable flyer, Tom was also cursed with precarious sleeping; one of Peeves' favorite activities since his arrival at Hogwarts was to wake him up with extremely loud noises wherever the boy settled for a daily snooze between classes. Surprisingly, though, the boy and the poltergeist were quite amicable.

"You're staring. That won't impress her."

"Right. Maybe I should do what you do … collapse in a bench somewhere and snore like I won't live to sleep another day."

"Women like carefree men, Ted."

Ted couldn't help a snort, looking at his plate briefly before turning his attention to the Slytherin girl getting up from her seat and leaving, books close to her chest and long hair flowing behind her. _Classic Andromeda Black_.

"I know I keep asking this and you never give me a straight answer, but _what is it_ about this girl, anyway, Ted?" Tom asked him, half a sandwich down his throat. "Top of my head, I can think of – at least – five nice Hufflepuff ladies that wouldn't really mind taking care of you after today's match. All prettier than her," and he pointed at the disappearing figure of Andromeda.

Ted shook his head as he stood up. "Like I always tell you, Tom … if you have to ask me that question, you wouldn't understand the answer." _And no one is that beautiful … not here. Not anywhere else._

Tom sighed. "Just get to the stadium in time, will you?"

"Someone has to cover your arse, I know." He grabbed an apple and rushed out the door, catching up with Andromeda two corridors away. The school was, still, mostly silent; they were both early risers.

"Andromeda!"

He noticed her shoulders stiffening, even though she didn't turn around; not an uncommon reaction when he was near.

"What do you want?"

"Wow. No 'Mudblood' or 'Muggle-born' today. I guess you're actually starting to like me."

She pressed her step. "How they are allowing such a crazed person like you to take classes here is beyond me."

Ted saw her fingers turning whiter against the books. "Aren't you going to the game? It's your house against mine. Won't you at least cheer for them, if not for me?" he teased.

"You would think," and she stopped, turning to face him with outright indignation, "that after dozens of times asking me the same thing, you would've known better. I detest Quidditch! There are a thousand things I would rather do!"

"That's because you never flew in your life," Ted suggested, not at all afraid or discouraged from her outburst. "If you would just take me up on that offer and …"

"Get something through that thick skull of yours, _boy_," she whispered, a lethal menace on her tone. _I like when she's feisty … what's wrong with me? _"If humans were meant to fly, we would have wings."

"Andromeda," he whispered back, unable to help a smile, "We are wizards and witches. We can shape the world. We are meant to do** anything we want**."

She opened her mouth to retort, but found she couldn't. _Maybe I should stop staring so much … one of these days I'll scare her for good. _Instead, she turned on her heels and continued on her way to the dungeons.

"So what about that flight?" he shouted, a full grin on his face, knowing better than to follow.

"Go away!" was the echoing answer. Ted shouldered his broom, smiling. _One day …_

Ted never did remember what happened precisely at that game. Being disliked as he was by most of Slytherin for his advances on a highborn, pureblooded witch such as Andromeda… it got under people's skins. It didn't help that he never lost his temper around them…

So when a _third_ bludger came out of the stands and hit him square in the head (causing severe detentions for two Slytherins guilty of enchanting the foul thing), there was only blackness. Two days later, he woke up in the Hospital Wing to the snoring of his friend Tom.

"Good Merlin, mate, where's the respect for the ill?" he moaned, causing Tom to wake up instantly. The relief on his friend's face was instant.

"_Respect for the ill?_ Teddy, I prefer to call your situation 'rest for the wicked' – as in wicked **insane **… there was a bet on whether you'd survive." He placed a hand on Ted's shoulder, using the other to give him a glass of water. "How are you feeling, brother?"

"Like my brain's still shaking inside my head."

"Oh, so it shrank to its normal small size, then." Tom half-smiled.

"Apparently. I still can't remember why I'm friends with you, so I'm still stupid, it seems," Ted quipped. He looked around to find a table filled with assorted gifts and notes of 'Get better.'

"What's all that?"

"Your admirers' club, I believe. Sorry 'bout some of the chocolates, I was here a lot and got hungry." He noticed Ted's prolonged stare at the table, and how that all-powerful smile of his illuminated his face in a second, as if he hadn't been risking brain damage in the last few hours.

"What?"

"Nothing, Tom … nothing."

Tom failed to see that, hidden in a corner, almost camouflaged, was a small origami bird. It looked at Ted quizzically, flapping its wings. In each wing, the words 'Told' and 'You' were written in careful handwriting.

* * *

"Ted? Ted Tonks?! Where did you take that little kid I once knew?"

The Hufflepuff smiled before he properly turned around. "Bea!"

She responded the smile with a glare, before hugging him in a snowy Hogsmeade street. "All these years, and you're still the only person in the world that refuses to call me Trice. Must I remind you that I feel like a house-elf when you call me that?"

Ted laughed. "If I'm still the only one that calls you that, it's special. Heavens, two years since you graduated … why does it feel like it's so much more?"

"My witty remarks are gone. Hogwarts doesn't feel the same without me. The list of motives is long, young Theodore," she announced, lacing an arm under his and resuming Ted's original path. He could only laugh; a fifth year when Ted entered the school, Beatrice took a shine on the young, polite boy from the train, and during his three first Hogwarts years, whenever they met in the hallways and corridors she was always a good source of amusement.

"All too true, Bea, all too true."

"So put me up to speed, then. The life of a promising botanist-slash-potion maker goes only so far when it comes to exciting news."

"Well, let's see … I made prefect this year."

"As we knew you would."

"I'm still causing injuries to your housemates' egos in Quidditch."

"As I would prefer you didn't."

"I am irrevocably in love with Andromeda Black."

"That's not exactly news, Ted," she quipped, smiling. The Hufflepuff boy had always been outspoken about this inexplicable 'magnetism' of sorts he felt for Trice's fellow housemate, but what she once took for a child's stubbornness could not be mistaken anymore. He loved that girl. _Oh, Ted, I hope you know what you're doing … because no one else does when they're your age._

And just then, almost as if summoned, Andromeda herself stepped out of a bookstore, clenching her coat closer to her body. Unconsciously her eyes zeroed in on the unusual couple as Ted and Trice were passing by. Ted, with his supernatural sense to track her, turned his head around. A second later, so did Trice, a smile on her face.

"Andromeda Black! Beautiful as always."

"Beatrice," was her answer, polite and to the point. "It's always good to see you, although I believe you could keep better companies when you're visiting Hogwarts … Mudblood," she added with half a nod, barely registering Ted's presence.

While Beatrice looked shocked, Ted smirked. "Careful now, Andromeda. You don't want your sisters or anyone else passing by and picking up on how endearing you make that insult sound."

The younger Slytherin shook her head, turning to her former housemate. "Mental, Beatrice. Don't ever say I did not warn you," she said, nodding politely and turning on her heels.

"You look like you could use some coffee. Care to join us for some?" he shouted, that giant smile still on his face.

"Ask for the strongest they have, Tonks," she said, only loud enough for them to hear. "Maybe it'll be enough to wake you from your reveries."

It was a strange sight: Trice couldn't keep her jaw in place and was swallowing a lot of snow because of that, and Ted continued to smile until Andromeda was well hidden by a white curtain between them.

"Ted," Trice spoke after a while, "I hate to say this, but … it may be time to reconsider. Five years and she still treats you like … like _that_?"

"Nature versus nurture, Bea. I never expected it to be easy."

"But," she was choosing her words as they resumed their walk, "Ted, I think it's sweet that you're so persistent, I do … what I mean is that any girl would go crazy over you with half the effort you're putting here."

"_Any_ girl wouldn't be Andromeda." His eyes, his tone … it spoke of conviction like Trice had never heard from anyone else.

"Look … I just don't want to see you hurt. I hate when people tell me this, and I know you will too, but you're both young. Judging by mere seconds of encounter I can't even imagine what you've been putting up from her …"

"Beatrice Alexandra Cassandra Olivia Norton, you are an advocate of love. You have always been. So can you please … _please _… have some faith in me?"

"Well, maybe if you stop using my full name, I'll sympathize more with your situation!" she hissed, making sure no one overheard them. "Merlin, Ted … I'm never telling you anything personal again!"

"Now that's a lie if I ever heard one."

Her reply consisted mostly of her tongue sticking out. And then she stopped, holding Ted in place. "Wait, is this why you're freezing your bum in the snow today? It is, isn't it … holidays are around the corner … you want to buy her a gift!"

"I will not confirm that."

"Don't bother, when have I ever been wrong?"

"Mixing mandrakes with essence of dragon's saliva comes to mind …"

She pretended not to listen. "Ted, I was here to visit my uncle anyway! Don't you remember what he works with?" The teenage boy had enough time to click on the proverbial light bulb in his head while Beatrice dragged him down the snowy road.

"Don't you worry, lad. With the Nortons' help, you'll pick the perfect present for her, and if after that she doesn't fell like snogging you until your lips are damaged ..."

"I'm not going to use a Love Potion on her, Bea."

"… right. I knew that."

* * *

"Tonks?"

It was barely above a whisper. If not for the fact that he would recognize that voice – and that perfume – anywhere in the world, the Astronomy Tower's winds would've carried the word away without him noticing.

"Yeah, it's me," he managed.

Delicate footsteps closed in on him. _Now, of all times, she wants to talk. Women._

"This is not your patrol shift," he said, higher than he meant. Footsteps stopped.

"I know," and her voice wasn't defensive, for once. "I heard about what happened."

Ted turned around, leaning against the wall and crossing his cloak over his chest. "You'll have to be a bit more specific."

She looked at him in that way that always spelled _don't be daft_, her head slightly tilted. It wasn't usual for Ted Tonks to receive a reprimand or scheduled detentions. Especially for hospitalizing three Slytherins who thought it would be a good idea to insult his Muggle parents.

"If your bloody friends are expecting apologies, you're wasting your t…"

"They had it coming," she said, raising her hand. Ted blinked, puzzled. "And they are not my friends."

"Then … _why_ are you here?" he asked, truly confused.

Andromeda seemed as puzzled as he was, but more with his behavior towards her than anything else. "I … I just wanted to … never mind."

"_Never mind_," he repeated, dumbfounded. "You came all the way here to say _never mind_?"

She sighed, irritated. "You know what, excuse me for being … curious as to what has gotten into you! They didn't say anything out of the ordinary …"

"Out of the _ordinary_?!" He took a step forward, offended like she never saw him.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it." She lifted a finger almost as a threat, and he silenced. "What I meant is that these people push and push for years on the subject of your family …"

"Is there a point to this?"

"That's what I am asking _you_, Tonks!" she took two steps forward. "By Morgan, _I_ call you Mudblood at least once a day. You are always so bent on being the better man, always taking the high road ..."

"Did it ever occur to you that at some point it's just _exhausting_?!" He raised his voice, and this time Andromeda took a step back. "That sometimes, all you want to do is fight back? I've had it up to here with all of you … highborn, pureblood … as if that meant anything at all!"

"All of … _us_?" and Ted couldn't tell if there was a hint of sadness carrying that last word.

"What … are you going to deny you're just like them, now? That you refuse to give me a chance simply because I wasn't born in ancient halls and wasn't showered with prestige from people way too old to remember what being alive feels like?"

Years of frustration were pouring out, and it wasn't as if Ted could stop it. This girl, this wonderful, beautiful girl, with depths in her eyes that he wanted to dive into, with mysteries he knew she refused to share with anyone … this girl that he wanted to offer the world to … this girl that just assumed they lived in worlds apart.

Andromeda was speechless. Ted had his way with words … she knew that better than anyone … but to hear it now, the sadness in his voice, the longing … she needed to get away from him or instincts she had been caging for a while now would take over … and then there would be no hope for her. For any of them.

"We can't be together, Mu… We just can't," and for once she held back the offending word.

"Right, because your _family_ says so." His frustration almost caused him to howl.

"You don't …"

"_Understand_? Andromeda, I understand the rules better than anyone. Any Muggle-born that has ever set foot in this school knows that from the moment they buy their first set of clothes in a crowded Diagon Alley, when every wizard in a hundred yards looks down on their parents."

He shortened the distance between them; the Slytherin was terribly reminded of how small he made her feel when Ted was this close.

"These idiotic rules shouldn't have anything to do with how we feel." He barely breathed the words.

"How _we_ feel? Are you ever going to listen to me, Tonks?" she asked, folding her arms defensively.

"I plan to, when you start looking me in the eye and telling me the truth." He wasn't going anywhere, and his eyes were boring a hole into hers.

"What truth?" she asked, defiant, after what felt like an eternity.

There was a pause of seconds. Of years of opportunities lost, and found. Of hidden smiles and open banter. So many memories in a flash.

And then Ted was left with no other choice but to raise his hands, cup Andromeda's face and seal their lips together.

Kissing Andromeda Black made Ted Tonks realize several things …

The first was that her lips tasted even better than he ever dreamed of, and their softness had no equal in nature.

The second was that, soft as it began it only made him want her more – as if that was possible. While he kept a hand on her face the other firmly pulled her by the waist. He could never kiss this woman again with anything but his entire body.

And the third hidden knowledge … was when her hands met him. One was holding on to the arm around her waist, the other closing around the wrist still holding her face and caressing her neck. The realization that this woman who battled his feelings every step of the way … was wholeheartedly, joyfully … kissing him back.

"The truth, _Miss Black_," he whispered when their only choice was parting for air, eyes closed, chills up and down their spines, "is that you want this as much as I do."

Her eyes fluttered open, her expression one of shock. Shock with herself, for wanting to capture his lips again and refusing to move away from Ted's grasp on her waist. Eventually, the cunning Slytherin inside her got the handles of the situation and she moved away, like a cornered fox.

"Don't ever do that again," she threatened him, turning around. A strong hand grasped her wrist before she could move.

"I'm afraid that's not an option anymore."

"Let go of me!" she shouted. _And do it now, while I still have barely the strength to fight you …_

"For now? Yes." He was again inches away from her face and she could swear he had charmed his eyes so that they'd be unavoidable, irresistible under the moonlight. She shivered. "But know this, Andromeda Black. _I will never stop trying_."

"Ted." It came out as a sigh, as hopeless pleading. The first time she called him by his name. He had her, now. He knew it … and she knew it, too.

"You can go now and lie on your bed and pretend to sleep. Go. Go and relive that kiss over and over as many times as you want, because that's what I'm going to do until I kiss you again. And while you're making up a thousand excuses as to why this was a mistake and you should have me punished for what I did, remember that _I want you_, Andromeda. I want you, and when you decide you want me too, I will do everything I can to make you the happiest woman on Earth. _I will never stop choosing you._ _I will never get used to you._"

He placed a warm kiss on her temple, resting his lips there for as long as he could. Andromeda felt her eyes closing to savor the moment, while her conscious mind told her this was pure madness. Her family would never accept it. Her friends … what friends would be left if word of this got out?

She called all her forces to mutter, "Go away, Ted." He pulled his face back. The smile he reserved just for her transformed his face, awakened her body.

"You really should stop looking at my mouth and biting your lip if you ever want me to leave again," he added, almost as a suggestion, before placing a chaste kiss on her palm and walking away.

Alone in the tower, her body a dangerous combination of receding cold and alarming warmth, Andromeda breathed several times before making her way back to the dungeons. She needed to sleep. She needed to wake up extra early the next day … needed new routes for her classes and new places to have her meals. She needed to appease those ridiculous butterflies in her stomach …

_She would not be responsible for herself if Theodore Tonks looked at her the way he did tonight ever again._

* * *

"Psst."

Andromeda stopped in her tracks, instinctively knowing the whisper was for her. She slowly looked around, unwilling to reply for fear of being overheard. One never knew who was watching, and her younger sister in particular had a certain knack for popping up (to use a phrase, for Narcissa Black never 'popped' anywhere) at the most unexpected times.

"Over here."

Trying and failing to hide her growing smile, Andromeda walked past two towering bookshelves and turned left to find the source of the whisper.

"There you are."

Ted's lips were on hers before she could respond, eager and slightly chapped. She fell into his embrace, clinging to his strong arms as dizziness threatened to overtake her. Andromeda felt she would never tire of kissing this boy, this Muggle-born Hufflepuff with the messy blond hair and infinite smile.

Despite that, she forced herself to pull away after a few seconds. "Ted, what are you doing? This is the library! Anyone could walk by."

"That's half the fun, sweets," he said with a wink before claiming her mouth again.

"Mmm … but Ted … we'll be caught," Andromeda protested between those very distracting kisses.

"You worry … too much … Dromeda," he returned in kind, his mumbling cutting off the first part of her name. "Too long … since Hogsmeade."

Hogsmeade, when Cissy had been a mere half second too late to find Ted and Andi snogging in a lonely alley. The memory was enough to reawaken her cautious nature from under the cloud of pleasant kisses. "Ted, please. We can't."

He sighed, letting her go and leaning against a bookshelf. "I can't carry your books to class, I can't sit by you at meals, I can't walk you to Hogsmeade. You're supposed to be my girlfriend, Andromeda. I understand your situation, I do, but I miss you." Ted stepped closer, a mischievous grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "We won't be caught, I promise."

There were no protests when he kissed her again, only an earnest surrender to his lips and his arms and to Ted himself. They snogged furiously, barely parting for air, and Andromeda was completely unaware that she was pressed against a series of books on dementors when a familiar voice made its nearby presence known.

"You're wasting our time, Travers. Dumbles is sure to have removed any proper Dark Arts books," Bellatrix said in her drawling manner. "We'd do better to look at my aunt Walburga's private collection."

"You have to go," Andromeda whispered urgently, all but pushing Ted away. "Get out of here, hurry!"

When Bellatrix passed, she found her sister staring intently at the DADA section, trailing her finger over the spines as she scanned the titles. "Andi? What are you doing?"

"Studying for my O.W.L.s," Andromeda replied, calm and composed. "I'd like to read more about Unforgivables."

Bellatrix laughed. "I could tell you all you need to know on that subject."

Andromeda looked up from the books to see a pair of blue eyes gazing at her from the opposite side of the shelf. One wink, and then he was gone. "That would be lovely, thank you, Bella."

* * *

_At some point, you'll have to stop primping, dear._

Andromeda laughed at herself as she stared into the mirror, fastidiously adusting a lock of hair. Like most women she had imagined this day over and over in her girlhood, preferring to ignore the idea of a dark, faceless man at her side (one of her parents' choosing, no doubt) in favor of dreaming of the fancy white dress, the large, beautiful ring, the exotic honeymoon afterward, and her sisters at her side.

Well, the dress was white if not a traditional outfit and she had a ring if not large, but their honeymoon was to be spent in their new flat in the dodgy part of Wandsworth and her only family attending was Uncle Alphard. The dark, faceless pureblood of her parents' choosing had been replaced by a blond Muggle-born with no money and a cheerful grin.

And he was entirely her choice.

She tugged another curl into place. Her hair, at least, was perfect. Long and loose just as Ted liked it with some curls carefully pinned back and a few others framing her face.

"Dromeda?"

Startled by the voice, she hurried to the door and tried to push it shut, nearly smashing Ted's hand in the process.

"Ted! You can't see me yet. It's bad luck!"

He chuckled. "Love, you're in a loo at the Ministry of Magic waiting for an official to finish his dinner so he can marry us. I don't think now is the time to begin wedding traditions."

"Still ..." she protested. "Just go on, and send Uncle Alphard when it's time. Has he arrived yet?"

"Yes, he and Bea are waiting in the hall with me."

"Good, good."

He must have heard something in her voice, a catch of distraction. "Andromeda, are you certain you want to marry this Mudblood?"

The uncharacteristic hint of self-doubt struck a chord. In her mind, she composed a list: on one side were Mother and Father, Bella, Cissy, school friends, money, prestige; in the opposing column, only one entry. Ted.

It was never even close.

"Yes, my love, I am absolutely sure I want to marry you."

Her hand slipped around the door, finding his and holding tight. There they stood in silence, no words needed to express themselves.

Finally Ted parted with one last squeeze and an, "I love you, Andromeda Black. You make me the happiest person alive."

No, she said to herself, that person is me.

Five minutes later, standing next to Ted in his best (patched) dress robes, Andromeda forgot she ever had any doubts.

* * *

"It's too much salt, isn't it?"

He sighed, smiling. "Love, this is delicious," he responded between mouthfuls.

"You were nearly crying a minute ago, Ted. It's too strong."

He put his napkin up to his mouth, contemplating his wife; Andromeda was remarkably sensitive with her cooking skills, and – although he would never say it aloud – he admitted the beginning of the marriage was a grand recollection of take-outs after something started burning in the kitchen. Much like in everything she applied to, though, she was rapidly improving, and only occasional slips happened (much like today's salt measure). Even so, to her these slips were costly in some emotional level, apparently, and Ted was always at a loss for how to react. Ted reached for her hand and squeezed. "Did you consider I could be crying because it's just _that_ good?"

She, in turn, narrowed her eyes, a nasty smirk on her lips. "Did _you_ consider that you are just as bad a liar today as you were back in Hogwarts?"

"When did I ever try to lie to you at Hogwarts?" He sounded shocked.

"So you're admitting to lying now, yes?"

_Women_. "That's not what I asked you."

"But it's all I needed to make my case," she added, sighing. "I'm sure if we're fast we can get a table somewhere nearby," and she was already on her feet.

"Dromeda …"

Either she didn't listen or didn't bother to respond, with her back to him as she led her plate to the sink, muttering something remarkably close to _can't get anything right_.

"Hey…" Ted almost leapt out of his chair, placing a kiss in Andromeda's hair and wrapping his arms around her, hands on her stomach pulling her close. "I stand by what I said … it's delicious."

"Like 'it's delicious, but we're still eating somewhere else', right?"

"I suppose so, you already vanished your food from your plate."

Andromeda couldn't help laughing weakly, caressing his forearms absent-mindedly before turning around to face her husband, his hands now on the small of her back. "Seriously, why in the world did you want to marry me, Theodore Tonks? I couldn't cook – and still can't most of the time – to save my life. I'm no good at household chores …"

"It's a good thing I wanted a wife, then, not a maid," he quipped, kissing her nose and ignoring her frown. "I married you because you are an intelligent, caring and strong woman, even if you have a hard time recognizing that sometimes." Then he closed in on her ear to whisper. "Well, that and you're really sexy. Mostly that, in fact."

Andromeda giggled against her own will, trying not to break. "Is that so?"

"You're the one who insisted I shouldn't lie." He kissed her neck.

"I … I do prefer honesty, in fact."

"I know you do." Brushing her ear lobe.

"Ted …"

"Yes?" he said, his most normal tone, as if his hands were not looking for bare skin under her blouse.

"Just what are you – oh – doing?"

"You know what they say, love … if salt's the problem, give me some of that sugar."

Andromeda gave up resisting and laughed with gusto, using her hands to frame her husband's face and force him to look at her. "How long have you been waiting to use that one, my silly man?"

"Whatever do you mean, my beautiful wife?" And he lifted her up without protest, carrying her to the bedroom.

"Are you planning to use sex to cheer me up about cooking for the rest of our marriage?"

"Sounds like a great plan to me," he shrugged, stripping his wife of her skirt. "Do you object?"

"Only to rushing into more cookbooks. I can take my time learning." And they kissed, sharing hungry smiles.

"Like I said … intelligent woman."

* * *

Andromeda lay on the cool tile of the bathroom floor, grateful for once that they could barely afford to heat their tiny flat. The chill of the ceramic, so unwelcome on bare feet first thing in the morning, now provided much-needed relief for her exhausted body, wracked by dizziness and nausea. She prayed she was done, that that would be the last round of vomiting for the day. According to the Healer, it would taper off in another month or so. Surely she could last that long.

She willed herself to rise. Ted would be home from work any minute now, and she wanted to have dinner on the table when he did. Andromeda had come a long way in the scant year since she became his bride, from a house elf-raised witch who looked at a cooker as something foreign and burned every meal for a month straight to one whose husband now asked for seconds, and not merely in an effort to make her feel better.

The door. That was the door. _No no no no_. This wasn't the way she wanted for Ted to learn the news. She had it all planned out – his favorite meal complete with a chocolate cake (_Oh, chocolate sounds delicious right now_), and then she would hand him a wrapped gift, which he would open to find –

"Dromeda? I'm home, darling, where are you?"

Andromeda attempted to rise, but all that earned her was another bout of retching, hanging over the toilet and attempting to keep her hair out of the way. Somehow she maintained enough presence of mind as she slumped against the bathtub, wiping her mouth, to wave her wand at the door and lock it.

"Are you in there? I can hear you." The doorknob rattled. "Why is the door locked? What's going on?"

"I'm ill," she answered weakly.

"I'm terribly sorry, darling, but that doesn't explain why the door is locked."

"I don't want you to see me like this."

He laughed. Ted actually _laughed_, but Andromeda failed to see what was so amusing. "Is that all? I've seen you ill before. Let me in and I'll put you to bed and run down to the Tesco for some soup."

"We don't have the money for more groceries," she protested. "And I don't want any of that horrid tinned soup."

"Tetchy, aren't we? Let me in, Dromeda, so I can help you. You're being ridiculous."

"Go away, Ted!" she snapped in a sudden surge of irritation.

Silence was her answer until she heard a sliding sound followed by a muffled thump. She bit her tongue until curiosity got the better of her. "You're sitting outside the door, aren't you?"

"Yes."

She couldn't help a smile. That was her Ted, persistent and loyal to the core. And thank goodness he was, else she'd never be here, in this small, cold flat with a loving husband, a nosy cat, and one other tiny yet enormously significant presence. Her own slice of heaven. With a sigh she waved her wand again, unlocking the door with an audible click.

Ted didn't say a word while he squeezed in next to her on the floor, sliding an arm over her shoulders and encouraging her to rest her head on his. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" he finally asked in a soft voice.

"Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all."

"Okay," he said, clearly confused. "Why did you try to send me away?"

To her horror, she grew teary-eyed. "I had it all planned out, something wonderful. I didn't want you to find out this way …"

"Find out?" He straightened. "Find out what?"

"Ted, I'm pregnant."

To her dying day, Andromeda never ever forgot the look of absolute joyful astonishment that crossed her husband's face.

* * *

"Where are my girls?"

Nymphadora flipped her head up, green eyes widened in a mixture of alarm and delight. A daddy's girl through and through, she normally spent her mornings at nursery school and her afternoons perched on the front windowsill, awaiting her father's return.

Today, however, was special.

"What are you supposed to remember, Nymphadora?" Andromeda asked, satisfied the cream would continue to whip itself.

She nodded importantly, bright purple bunches bouncing. "I mustn't tell Daddy what we're doing for his birthday," she recited.

"And?"

"And he can't come in the kitchen. You can't come in here, Daddy!" she turned and yelled.

"And why is that?"

It was clear from his voice he stood just outside the room. Nymphadora squealed and ran full pelt for the door, flinging herself at her father. Andromeda followed more sedately, standing in the doorway.

Ted threw his daughter in the air several times as she shrieked with loud laughter before placing a kiss on her temple. He then gave his wife a much more lingering kiss. "Hello, darling, how was your day?"

"It was fine, dear. And yours?"

"Better now. And you, my princess? What did you do today?"

"I'm not a princess anymore, Daddy," she protested. "I'm a pirate! See?" She held a hand over one eye.

"Oh my, that's a very scary pirate. Do pirates keep secrets from their daddies?"

"Come, Nymphadora, I need your help in the kitchen." She quickly removed her daughter and swept her back into the kitchen. No four-year-old could keep a secret for long, much less Nymphadora.

"What are you up to in there?" Ted asked before she shut the door in front of him.

"Never you mind. Run along, dear. It's girl time in here."

The birthday cake was prepared in short order, and while Nymphadora was busily occupied licking the spoon, Andromeda turned her attention to the meal. She wanted everything to be perfect.

"Mummy, can I help?"

"Of course, sweetheart, you can – oh dear." By the looks of it, very little chocolate had made it into her mouth. She'd even managed to get some on the top of her head. "Actually, how about you go play with Daddy? He's probably lonely by now."

Nymphadora gasped. "Oh no! Don't worry, Daddy, I'm coming!"

It took some doing, but Andromeda figured she was successful when she managed to clean at least three-quarters of the mess off her daughter's squirming face. "And remember, you mustn't tell Daddy."

Nymphadora stopped at the door and screwed up her face in a wink, turning half her hair blue in concentration.

Loud giggles and shouts proved both her loved ones were occupied, and Andromeda busied herself finishing dinner. It was only when the table was set that she realized the house was quiet. Too quiet.

Taking care to muffle her steps, she slipped into the sitting room. Ted had Nymphadora on his lap in his favorite chair. "I promise I'll act truly surprised," he was saying. "Mummy won't suspect a thing."

"But – but she said I mustn't –" Her face was red with the effort not to blurt out her secret.

"But it's my birthday, Dora. If you tell me, I'll talk Mummy into letting you stay up late."

"Theodore Tonks!" Both jumped and spun around, and Andromeda couldn't tell which face looked guiltier. "Are you attempting to bribe our four-year-old into spilling a secret she's worked all day to keep?"

"I didn't tell, Mummy!" Nymphadora burst out, running over to cling to her skirt.

"I know you didn't. You were very good. Your father, on the other hand ..." She gave her husband a stern look usually reserved for the smallest member of the family.

"You can't blame a bloke for trying, Dromeda."

"You are terrible. Taking advantage of a child like that. Well, come on, everything's ready."

He pronounced the meal heavenly to the last bite, and they ate while Nymphadora wiggled with suppressed glee. When Ted finally pushed away his plate, she sprang up and flew back into the kitchen, followed by her mother. Both reappeared a minute later, Nymphadora bearing an enormous chocolate cake, tongue sticking out of her mouth in concentration with her mother a step behind her.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!" she shouted a split second before tripping. The cake flew into the air, almost graceful in its ascent before ever so slowly falling to the ground –

– only to be rescued by Andromeda's quick wand and levitated gracefully to rest in front of Ted.

"Is this why I was banished? This looks wonderful, my darlings." He stood, ruffling Nymphadora's hair before embracing his wife and giving her a long kiss.

"I can tell you the secret now, Daddy!" Nymphadora chirped, attempting to squeeze between her two very occupied parents. "Daddy? Daddy!"

* * *

She smiled. "What?"

"Nothing. I just love watching you drink wine."

Andromeda shook her head, still smiling. "As if I do anything different from thousands of women that drink it just the same way, Theodore." She loved playing his name on her lips.

"Well, I'm not married to thousands, so pardon me for only paying attention to my wife."

Andromeda also loved how he said it. _My wife_. It always sounded different. Always better.

"You are forgiven," she added, clinking her glass to his. "And this was a lovely idea."

Ted joined her, looking around at the small open area they stood in, the front of a modest Italian restaurant. He smiled. "It was either taking you to a surprise dinner in Italy by apparition or facing that reunion and all those marvelous Hogwarts alumni that never bother to send – or respond to – Christmas cards anymore."

Andromeda knew that Ted's dissatisfaction was only partially honest. He had made many friends at Hogwarts – _and how could he not, being who he was?_ – but family, she had a guilty pleasure admitting, always came first and above all else for him. Looking back on her Hogwarts years, she often wondered how much strength of will – and utter stubbornness – it took to resist him for so long.

"Some surprise, indeed," she forced the subject to sate her own curiosity. "When have you been here?" He had to, at least once, to know where they were headed.

"Our fourth to fifth year summer break. I took a small trip with my cousins and could never really forget this place. Promised myself I would bring you here someday."

"Is that so?" she asked, resting her chin on her joined hands.

"Most certainly."

"And why is that, dear?"

He came closer. "See that man in that portrait to our left? With his wife and son?" She nodded. "That was _Signore Di Stéfano_, the original owner of this restaurant. He died that very summer, while we were still in this town."

She freed one of her hands to gently rest it over Ted's. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh, don't be, love. I'm sure this is a very pleasant night for him." He smiled, turning his hand so he could caress hers with his thumb.

"How so?"

"You see, at the night we dined here, I observed Mr. Di Stéfano with his wife. They looked at each other from across the room whenever they could; he placed a kiss on her forehead every change he got. He would literally stop and tell every willing listener the story of how he married the most wonderful woman in the entire world. Well, that last bit he got wrong, because I'm that man, but …"

"Go on," she giggled.

"As I was saying … he really got along with our table. Way past closing hours and he was still drinking with us …"

"Drinking, you say … and this was between our _fourth and fifth year_?" she narrowed her eyes, faking shock.

"That's not the focus of the story, love." He squeezed her hand and she laughed, allowing him to continue.

"Anyway … at a certain point I commented on how nice it was to see such a happy couple like they were … how they reminded me of my own parents. And then he smiled and told me this: _Teodoro. Quando si trova la donna con la quale si vuole passare il resto della tua vita ... non lasciarla andare_."

Andromeda blinked several times. "When did you ever learn to speak Italian?"

Ted chuckled with her amazement. "I never did, but considering your reaction, I may take some lessons," he said winking. "To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how I remembered that whole sentence. It just meant a lot to me then. _Non lasciarla andare_."

"Non lasciarla andare," she repeated perfectly. "It sounds so beautiful … what does it mean?"

Ted's lips parted with that smile that Andromeda learned to call _her smile_ over the years, his thumb playing with the bracelet he bought her on that snowy Hogsmeade trip that seemed so far in the past, and yet so close to the present.

"_Do not let her go_, love. It means _do not let her go_."

* * *

_Fifteen years._

It certainly didn't feel that long, Andromeda mused as she removed her earrings. Her wedding day was as clear as yesterday. All the same, the irrefutable evidence of time gone by surrounded her. The comfortable house instead of the small flat; the pictures along the hall of a baby, toddler, child, and now teenager with neon hair; her own face in the mirror with the fine wrinkles in the corners of her eyes.

It had been a wonderful evening. They began with dinner at one of the poshest restaurants in London, dressed in their finest, and exchanged gifts over an exquisite shared dessert of an incredibly rich chocolate torte. Crystal, as was the traditional gift, an engraved clock for him and a bouquet and vase for her. And after a moonlit stroll hand-in-hand, they were back at the Dorchester, their hotel for the night.

Ted came into the sitting area of the suite, popping the cork of a bottle of champagne. "A drink, my dear?"

She giggled as he levitated two glasses toward him. "Please."

They'd never done this before, spent such a lavish, elegant evening together. They made a point to always do something different for each anniversary, from camping to laying on the beach to exploring Paris. She remembered each with equal fondness, even those less successful. Their first when she attempted lobster and failed miserably, their second when they left Nymphadora overnight for the first time with Ted's mother and Andromeda became so wrought with anxiety they ended up going back, their ninth when both father and daughter were struck with dragon pox.

But this was perfect. No empty Gringotts account, no snags, no childcare to arrange thanks to Hogwarts. Even the weather had cooperated. And Andromeda had one more present.

She finished her drink and rose, heading into the bedroom. Ted followed, but she gently pushed him out and shut the door.

"What's going on?" he called, clearly amused. "Am I being banished to the sofa already?"

"Hardly," she replied.

"Dromeda, I've seen you change clothes a time or two. We have a child, in case you've forgotten."

She laughed. "As I was the one who labored with her for twelve hours, I've not. Go on, Ted. Give me one minute."

"If you say, darling. I wish you'd hurry, though. I'm terribly tired. Too much food."

She hurried through her preparations, feeling like a maiden on the eve of her wedding. When all was ready, she took a moment to glance around. The candles were lit, her hair tumbled freely to the small of her back, and as for the rest ... she tried not to blush, hoping she looked sexier than she felt. She hadn't worn something like this in years.

She opened the door. Ted stood, took one step toward her, and paused, his mouth falling slightly open.

"Are you still tired?" she asked.

His eyes, gleaming, traveled across the bits of red lace that left little to the imagination. "Not in the slightest."

* * *

"You weren't planning to leave without me, were you?"

Ted sat his rucksack on the table and turned around slowly. If Andromeda had surprised him, it didn't show. "Where's Dora?" he asked.

"In her room upstairs. Cried herself to sleep again."

"I've half a mind to go find Remus Lupin instead of going into hiding," he muttered darkly.

"Or you could simply stay and not break her heart further."

"We said our goodbyes last night. She … understands."

"If by 'understand' you mean pleaded with you for half an hour, then yes, she does," Andromeda said sarcastically. "You might have thought to shut the door."

Ted sighed, brushing his thinning hair back from his forehead. Andromeda allowed him to remove her rucksack from her back only because she knew he'd take her in his arms, which he did. "We've been over this, Dromeda. I can't stay. I'm not registering as a Muggle-born. None who go into the Ministry come out."

"You can hide here."

"I'd be putting you at risk. I won't allow that."

"I'm a pureblood who married a Muggle-born and the mother of a Metamorphmagus married to a werewolf. I hardly think you're putting us at risk."

"Remus is gone, good riddance, and if you remove the Muggle-born from that equation, you're much better off in their eyes."

"Then I'm going with you, Ted. Twenty-six years we've kept our vows, and I'm not stopping now. Where you go, I go."

"And leave Dora to fend for herself?" Silence was his answer. Andromeda never imagined she'd be torn between the two pieces of her heart like this. "She's in no condition to go running about the countryside, and her husband up and left her. She needs you."

"I need you," Andromeda protested, unashamed of her own petulance.

Ted's response was to embrace her tighter, and she allowed herself to meld into the body she knew better than her own. Not as strong or hard as that of the teenage boy she'd fallen in love with against her wishes, but perhaps something better, one she had memorized after nearly three decades and adored down to each newly-appeared wrinkle or faded scar.

"Do you remember our first flat?" he murmured into her hair.

"Of course. It was always cold, and after Nymphadora was born, we couldn't turn around without stepping on one another." She paused. "It was wonderful."

"Do you remember our first night?"

She closed her eyes. It was as fresh as ever. "You carried me over the threshold. Then you apologized for not giving me a 'proper' wedding, turned on the wireless, and we danced around the kitchen."

Ted waved his wand at the stereo on the counter. A second later the opening notes of a familiar song began to wrap around them, and when Ted took one hand, sliding the other around her waist, Andromeda didn't know whether to smile or cry.

And they danced, circling the kitchen as Otis Redding crooned. She'd lost track of how many times they had done this over the years, occasionally caught by their daughter. Nymphadora always acted mortified, but when the time came for her own tiny wedding and reception, in this very house, she had made sure to play 'These Arms of Mine.'

They stood silently when the song ended, neither wishing to break the spell. Soon the clock chimed. It would be dawn soon.

"This isn't goodbye," said Ted. "I'll be back when it's over."

"You can't know that."

"You can't know I won't."

"Please don't go, Ted," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You are my _life_."

"Dromeda, my Andromeda," he said with a sigh. "My wife, the love of my life, the mother of my child. Please don't make this harder than it is. Tell me to 'go away, Mudblood.' You've done it often enough. Just once more, for me?"

She searched his blue eyes, silently pleading, and when she couldn't find the answer she wanted, she surged forward, pressing her lips to his with so much passion it nearly consumed her. The kiss seemed infinite, but then they were parting and he was shouldering his rucksack and he was at the door.

"Goodbye, Dromeda. I love you."

"I love you, too, Theodore."

He was gone, heading for the apparition point in the garden. Andromeda pressed her face against the window, fingers curling against the cold glass. When he twisted and disappeared, something heavy and ugly clenched her heart.

"Come back," she whispered.


End file.
